Appreciation does not scale

Appreciation is a sharp tool to build trust. It’s effective.

For it to work, it must

1) be genuine and personal

2) come somewhat unexpected

3) require some effort to give

Many firms go to unhelpful extremes here. They try to scale the benefit. They formalise and automate. They may even tie it to incentives and rewards. But simply because the market is awash with easy appreciation submission and tracking tools, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

It easily becomes

1) hollow and fake.

2) so frequent, that it’s not special anymore.

3) effortless and meaningless.

My take:

Unless you are very careful, automation is likely to destroy the essence of appreciation.

Here’s my tip:

Beyond the systems that your company has, share at least one piece of intentional appreciation with someone today. Make it personal, unexpected and show some effort.

Examples:

Send a ‘Thank you’ email to someone for something they did, *without* asking for anything. (Pro Tip: Make it a Power Thank You)

Be gracious about someone’s mistake and assume positive intent. (Pro Tip: Don’t offer unsolicited advice.)

Buy a snack or a coffee/tea for your colleague. (Pro Tip: Know your colleague well enough, so you know what they actually like).

Don’t be surprised: it may be the one thing that makes their day and will be remembered for a long time!